The name of this case is a play on the word “nude” because the case lets you touch your actual phone’s screen. Unlike other cases that come with a cheap screen protector plastic built in, this case lets you keep the clarity and feel of your original touchscreen.

Pros: The Nuud case is a high quality case that protects your phone from drops, water, dirt, snow, dust and ice. It also has an anti-reflective optical glass camera lens and maximizes sound output clarity through its ingenious acoustic design. Mind you the sound isn’t as loud as without a case on the phone, but there has to be a tradeoff between protection and sound volume. You can submerse your phone up to 6.6 feet of water and it will remain totally intact. How’s that for protection?

The greatest part about the Nuud case is that the fingerprint scanner still works on the iPhone 5S. You can even listen to music while your phone is submersed in water by using the special water-proof headphone port LifeProof has designed.

Cons: Some users on Amazon report the case letting in water. LifeProof recommends to assemble cases without the phone first and then to test them in water before relying on them to protect your phone. However, with the Nuud case this isn’t possible considering the huge hole where the touchscreen would be. Also if you drop your phone a couple of times it may damage the case so that the next time it falls in water it won’t protect your phone.

The Nuud case is a bit bulky compared to non-waterproof cases, yet not that bulky when compared to other water-proof cases.

Conclusion: Any cons that Amazon users report are negated by the fact that LifeProof offers a total water protection plan for $10. If you’re a construction worker, snowboarder, or even a boat lover, then this case is highly worth it. Whether you’re looking to protect your phone from dust, sand, water, mud or snow, this case does it all. Although the Nuud case doesn’t come with a screen protector, that’s what the Fre case is for.

The Fre case is a word play on the word “free”. There’s a possibility it’s named free because it frees you from worry of your phone breaking.

Pros: The Fre case has a built-in plastic screen protector that is compatible with the iPhone 5S’ fingerprint scanner. Just like the Nuud case protects your phone from drops, dirt, dust, snow, mud, ice and water, so does the Fre case.

Cons: If you drop your phone in this case then you may not be able to count on it to block out water again. You can always take your phone out and assemble the case without a phone in it, and then test the case to see if it still blocks out water. Just like you can purchase the total water protection plan for the Nuud case, you can do the same with the Fre case.

The Fre case is also a bit bulky, but once again, not that bulky when you compare it to other water-proof cases.

Conclusion: If you want your phone to handle anything you throw at it, and protect the screen itself, then the Lifeproof Fre case is what you need. The plastic screen protector might hamper the screen clarity and brightness of your iPhone, but you’ll be free from worry that your phone’s screen will get damaged.

A Note About LifeProof iPhone 5S Cases

Although there are some negative customer reviews about people’s phones breaking in LifeProof cases, you shouldn’t worry too much about them unless you subject your phone and case to frequent drops. Once a phone is dropped a couple of times in a LifeProof case, it’s possible that the case may take on water the next time it is submersed. You can never know how the negative reviewers treated their phone before it broke.

Not to mention that if you sign-up to LifeProof’s total water protection program for $10 they will replace or repair your phone if it breaks within a year of buying your case. So if you plan on dropping your phone a lot and then still relying on it to protect your phone from water, just sign up for the total water protection program and you should be fine. (Disclaimer: We cannot be held responsible for any damage your iphone may sustain, so please perform your own due diligence when deciding to buy a case.)